In the offline world, you can tell a few things about your opponents instantly. Some characteristics are (typically) obvious, like their preferences, gender and age range, while there are other characteristics you may instinctively take for granted, like what time zone they live in. Others are not easily visible, like the ‘ticks and tells’ many people show while they play. But the online poker is a different animal. You play with individuals not only from other time zones, but also very likely from other nations. The Internet gives you many opponents to play against in another location. He may be in the daytime or may be already late at night. A fatigued player is often easier to beat compared to a wide-awake player.
All tidbits of information can be useful to you as the game moves on. For example, an individual playing from the city that hosts that day’s soccer team may be watching the match while they play on the notebook in front of the TV. Check for any edge you can use, based on even the most minuscule of information threads, since a few edges are better than none; and in the internet world, advantages are more difficult to glean compared to the brick-and-mortar poker game. You lose a good deal by not having your opponent seated at the same table across from you.
Not everyone you encounter in the virtual poker table talks English as a primary language (you may also bump into language roadblocks in brick-and-mortar casinos); some may not talk English at all. Don’t worry; their money is the one that matter (and don’t forget, so is yours), but you may not have a brisk conversation. On most sites, you can place the mouse cursor over an opponent’s name and learn his hometown, country, or both. Just do it.